


Damaged

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-06-11
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:31:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dear random jeep owner (which isn't very much of a jeep anymore), my name is Derek Hale. Sorry about the damage caused to your jeep, which was pretty crappy to start with, but I'm a lousy drunk and confused your jeep with that of my ex's and started to destroy it with a crowbar. As a repayment, I could fix the jeep for you because I'm a very attractive male that knows lots about fixing cars and will do it all for free.</p><p>Derek was seriously going to kill Erica for leaving that note.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Pull over!" A heavily intoxicated Derek Hale pointed to the side of the road where a lone jeep was parked, demanding his painfully sober driver, Erica Reyes, to move in that direction. She threw him a confused look, which received no explanation in response; instead he just gestured for her to hurry up. Derek rushes from the car, after fumbling with his seatbelt for a few moments of course, and she has no idea what is going on. Then again, many people fail to understand the workings of the drunken mind.

After a moment, noise floats up to her ear coming from the back of the car; Erica, curious to see his intent, slid from the driver's seat to find Derek with a crowbar held firmly in his hand. With a determined look on his face and perhaps a vengeful gleam in his eye, Derek marched towards the jeep before them; mutters that sounded something about Kate sounded under his breath as he advanced.

She observed, amused at the sight of him smashing the windows of the jeep that was the target of his rage; she really shouldn't enjoy seeing him to this, but in her defense, it was hilarious to see him so angry. One positive to the situation was that it was letting him get some of his anger out, even if said anger was let out on a poor, unsuspecting jeep and its owner. Unfortunately, Derek thought it belonged to his ex; but in his intoxicated state, it was an easy mistake to make. True, she probably should have pointed out that it was the wrong car, that did not resembled Kate's in any way, but she was too good of a best friend to bring it up.

He needed this, to let his anger out; luckily it was out on something and not someone. Drinking had released some of the stress, but it wasn't enough. In the end, this was one of the better solutions she could think of. She would leave a note afterwards, to apologize and offer for Derek to fix the damage dealt by his hand, as it was the least she could do for the service the jeep had provided. As she thought of this plan, Derek staggered back from the thoroughly wrecked vehicle, seemingly impressed and satisfied with the alarming amount of damage.

"Let's go." He slurred in her direction, before gracefully making his way back to the car, only tripping over his feet a few times. Erica had decided to play the greatest friend of all time, as she always did, letting Derek get completely smashed while she stayed sober; she despised this role, but it was better than the man from trying to drive himself. Derek's sister was not going to be happy about his current state, she knew this, but it was a problem for another time. And preferably, for a person other than herself to deal with.

He slid into the passenger seat of the car while she looked over the note she had been writing while he had been having his destructive meltdown; it wasn't perfect, but it would do. She placed the note on the windshield of the car, carefully avoiding the jagged glass, before taking a step to admire the crushed metal that had once been a vehicle. No matter how cruel it was to think so, she couldn't help laughing at the thought of the expression that would be on the owner's face when they saw the mess.

Once back in the driver's seat, she started up the car and pulled it away from the jeep; she decided that it would probably be better to drive to Derek's home, considering it was his car, before walking to her house. On the way to the Hale household, Erica couldn't help but grin as she mentally recalled what she had written in the note; oh, Derek was going to kill her.

_Dear Random Jeep Owner (Though, it isn't much of a jeep anymore),_

_My name is Derek Hale. I'm sorry about the damage caused to your jeep, even though it was pretty crappy to start with. I am a lousy drunk, who accidentally confused your jeep with that of my ex's; the damage you see is from me destroying it with a crowbar. To repay you, I will fix the jeep to you. I know a lot about fixing cars, so I will do it for free. Another plus is that I am a very attractive male. Do with that information what you will and I hope you have a good night, despite your wrecked ride._

On the back of the note, was Derek's address and phone number, for the person's convenience; and then he couldn't get out of fixing the person's jeep. Yes, Derek was definitely going to kill Erice. But in the end it was all his fault for making her the designated driver.


	2. Chapter 2

He couldn't believe this was happening, he was actually going to fix someone's damaged car for free. The idea was insane considering this is what he did for a living, even if he was the cause of said damage. Normally, he'd bribe the owner to get the problem fixed somewhere far away from him, but according to Erica, the jeep belonged to one Stiles Stilinski. Considering the last name was not all that common, it meant that the smashing he had done had been dealt to the one and only son of the sheriff; meaning that if he tried to bribe the poor owner of the car, he's probably end up having charges pressed against him. In the end, free labor was one of the few things he had to offer, and one of the few things he could offer legally, so fixing the car for free it was.

Walking up the Stilinski's driveway, Derek barely concealed the small smirk that appeared on his face in response to see the jeep he had thoroughly and completely trashed. Despite the fact that it was the jeep he'd have to spend days, perhaps even weeks, working on so the kid didn't tell his father about the incident, he was still proud of his destructive nature. If only it had been the right car...Derek rapped on the doorway of the house, only having to wait a few moments for a lanky teenager to answer the door. Probably Stiles, he noted.

"Hey, Sc-" The greeting dropped off as the boy flailed slightly at the realization that his friend had not been on the other side of the door. Thankfully for his already throbbing temples, the flailing only went on for a moment before the defensive rambling took over. "Who the hell are you? My dad didn't say anyone was coming, he's not here if you're look for him. You could leave a note or you could come in and wait if you..."

"I'm Derek Hale." Derek cut off the chatter box with his best smile, hoping that his irritation was not being heard. The kid needed to like him so he could get the repairs done as fast as possible, get back to his life, and avoid being arrested. Perhaps not in that exact order, but it all needed to be done and for that, the kid needed to like him; he avoided gritting his teeth and waited for a response.

Realization dawned on Stiles' face and the kid took a step back, to put some distance between them. Not reassured by the action, Derek recalled what Erica had told him; she had left the kid a note that should have told him what he needed to know, the kid should at least recognize the name.

"Derek?" Stiles repeated the name slowly, as if he was testing the sound of it out on his tongue. Then, it seemed, the kid's brain kicked in. "You're the guy that wrecked my jeep!" The shorter of the two pointed an accusing finger at him and Derek resisted rolling his eyes. He just wanted to get started and get his repair nightmare over with. Fingers reached into a pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, leading to Stiles nearly waving the infamous note in the other's face. "You better be freaking glad I didn't show my dad this. He's been going insane over the jeep. Do you know how much it's going to cost to get the thing fixed?! Probably more than it's worth!"

The boy paused for a breath and Derek took the chance to speak before the babbling took back over. "I'm here to fix your car, if you want." Stiles stilled for a moment, seeming to consider the idea, weighing his options; Derek decided to add in the last part of the offer. "That is, if I don't become known to your dad as the cause of the damage."

"I knew there was a catch." Stiles huffed, his bottom lip being worried slightly between his two rows of teeth. "You'd be doing this for free right? And by free, I mean no payment. Which, of course, that's what I obviously meant. That's exactly what free means, although I could mean for three, but that wouldn't make any sense in the context of this conve-"

"Completely free." Breaking off the rant was easy, but Derek knew something needed to happen or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking the boy if he ever stopped babbling about useless things. Seeing that Stiles needed more convincing, Derek faked another half baked pleasant attitude and added "And I promise I will fix all the damage I caused."

"Fine, yeah, okay." Stiles finally relented, holding out his hand for Derek to shake so that the deal would be official. Or, at least offical enough so that Stiles would not get the officials involved. Derek firmly shook the hand a few times, before dropping his hand back to his side. "But you need to work on it fast, I need my car. Without it I have to be driven by my dad or worse, ride the bus!"

"I'll start work on it tomorrow" Derek assured him, trying to sound charming and not annoyed. It seemed to work, as Stiles nodded slightly before closing the door in Derek's face; at least he didn't slam it, the man sighed. Making his way back down the driveway, Derek eyed the jeep and started to mentally assess how much it would cost to fix the damn thing. Then there was the time to take into account, oh, and how he was going to explain to Sheriff Stilinski why he was fixing his son's jeep for free. 

Note to self, he inscribed in his mind with bitter regret in mind, pick a better designated driver next time. Preferably, one who wouldn't let him cause massive property damage.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek slowly circled the thoroughly beaten car, noting what had to be fix and mentally estimating how much it was going to cost him; he sighed and was tempted to rub his temples. His parents were going to have a fit when they found out he much he needed to borrow to fix the damn thing, a stranger's jeep no less. He tentatively reached his hand out, pressing two fingers to the rear view mirror, to see how stable it was; it promptly fell clean off to clatter in the floorboard. Derek let out a shuttered sound, a mix of irritation and curses, as he stepped back from the wreckage and tallied the total damage.

He had really done a number on it, as it was practically crumbling into dust right before his eyes, but to be fair, it had already been at that breaking point before he had laid a finger on it. Regardless of that fact, now he was going to have to spend ages trying to fix it. Which was just wonderful, just what he needed, to waste his time repairing someone else's jeep. He huffed angrily, this was all Erica's fault. if she had done nothing other than drive him home, Stiles would be none the wiser to who had done the damage to his jeep. But no, she had to leave a note, she had to leave his name and address. Sometimes he questioned why he was even friends with her, other than having someone he could bully into being the designated driver.

"It's not that bad." Derek lied and Stiles snorted, obviously disagreeing with his false analysis; at least the kid was smarter than he looked, the older man noted offhandedly. "I'll have to replace the windows, the left car door, the headlights, and the rear view mirrors." Derek simply listed off the repairs, gesturing with his hands to what areas he was going to be spending his time on. "The engine might need patched, does it stall often?"

"Sometimes." Stiles replied, little commitment evident in the answer as his energy had dwindled slightly; that lack vanished as the boy perked his head up to ask. "But, how long will it take you to fix it?" He was insistent, having asked the same thing for at least twenty times in the past, in the short span of fifteen minutes that Derek had been there. Stiles was met with the same response, a simple "I don't know" from a extremely agitated Derek; the older man was still hoping that he was going to learn, but he was continually disappointed.

"The bumper might need some work..." Derek mused aloud, crouching down to run his hand across the metal piece; Stiles, the deprived hormonal teenager he was, took the opportunity to shamelessly check his new mechanic out. Unaware of this, Derek continued with his assessment, trying to not let the weariness of the projected project seep into his voice. "I won't get much done today. Most of what needs to be done is things being replaced, not repaired, and I just don't have the parts. I could probably do something about the stalling engine though."

Stiles nodded, not hearing a word, and watched as Derek picked up a small tool box that had been brought with him. After picking out a flat head screwdriver, the man slid underneath the car in a practiced motion and even though Stiles couldn't see what was going on, he knew that Derek was probably changing the fuel filter...or something like that. Stiles really didn't pay attention when his dad was explaining about how to fix cars, usually he was more occupied with the idea of what they were going to eat afterwards; he loved his curly fries, so sue him. 

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked, desperate to break the unfamiliar silence that was in the air. "You know, my dad once showed me how to fix cars. Are you loosening something? You look like you are. Are you going to change the fuel filter? What does a fuel filter do anyway? Do you need me to pass you anything? Are you hungry?"

He kept asking, question after question, in hope that he would get any kind of an answer; instead, Derek ignored him. Derek hoped the kid would catch on and stop talking, because it was obvious that he did not want to listen, but unfortunately, Stiles did not take the very visible hint. Instead, he took the silence as a chance to babble on and on about cars and his time with his dad. The subjects then mixed all together and went from favorite foods, to favorite cooks, and then about another million things that Derek lost track off in the endless ranting on of the other. Derek was very tempted to hit his head against the car, because he honestly would prefer the clanging metal instead of the words, but that would probably give him even more of a headache; so, he didn't. 

The worst part of the whole situation was that Stiles was only a little intimidated by Derek, at least that was the show he put on. Maybe it was because he was the son of the Sheriff, so Stiles felt safe that Derek wouldn't murder him in his sleep (as tempting as a thought as it was.) But, still, Derek was the one who has smashed his car in. Stiles should be shaking in his shoes right now and trying to leave as fast as possible, but instead...he was making every attempt to try and spark up conversation! It's was unnerving, really.

Stiles took a deep breath, finally, and a moment of silence passed between them; Derek dearly hoped it would last and the ranting wouldn't start up again. It did. Within second, his mouth was moving, talking mindlessly. Derek finished the fuel filter quickly, wanting to make an escape of his own, and collected his tools; he walked with purpose, trying to swiftly get to his Camaro and escape the endless talking.

As soon as Derek was sat safely inside his car, he let out a deep breath and pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes. The time he was going to spend fixing up the boy's jeep...it was probably going to be longest time he was going to spend doing anything. And it was going to be made even longer if Stiles insisted to talk all way through it.


	4. Chapter 4

"We should pick Stiles up." Erica commented, applying a final fresh coat of pink lipstick before smacking her plush lips together. Awaiting his inevitable resistance to her efforts, she closed the vanity mirror and turned to Derek. In return, he glanced at her for a moment before going back; not wanting to take his eyes off the road for too long, but not before giving her his best condescending scowl.

"No." Not wanting to spend a second more with the hyperactive kid than what was necessary, his reply was quick; though, he understood why she had suddenly come up with the idea. On the sidewalk, shoulders hunched while staring glumly at the ground, was Stiles. Derek frowned, tightening his hands on the steering wheel, knowing full well Erica wasn't going to let Stiles walk to school, not with the sadness radiating off of the kid.

For a moment, Derek seriously considered running the kid over. It was a good plan, as it would solve the whole having to fix the jeep deal and would get rid of the insistent talking; a win/win in his mind. However, due to the fact that there was not alcohol inhibiting him, his rational brain was working full force and reminded him that the legal implications would be worse than the supposed benefits he saw. He did not need more stress in his life and possible jail time certainly fell into that category.

He'd already had enough trouble trying to get rid of the headache caused from the few hours he had spent with the kid yesterday and he certainly did not need another one. That being said, he already knew where the situation was going; despite his eyes being firmly fixed on the road, he could tell that Erica was rolling her eyes, a sign that she was annoyed, but not about to give up. Tempted to roll his own eyes, Derek seriously questioned why he drove Erica to school in the first place. If she had not been in the car, then he would not have to be in this situation of picking Stiles up.

"You destroyed his car, you owe him this." Erica spoke as though it was more of a command than a friendly suggestion, insisting that he care about the scraggly loudmouth. He let out a long sigh, wanting to rebut her by telling her that fixing the car should be enough, but knowing her, she'd probably come back with another stupid reason. Then he would have to engage in a conversation that he was likely to lose, no matter how pessimistic a view it might be; instead, he sighed.

Slowing the car down, thankfully lucky that he was the only person on the relatively quiet road; Derek drove side by side with Stiles. It took a moment for the walker to notice the car following him, more than likely being too engrossed in his music for the outside world. He glanced to the side, and noticed the Camaro, before performing an amusing version of a double take. His mouth gaped open slightly in surprise, before he regained his composure.

"What, want to rub in the fact that I have to walk to school?" Stiles accused with narrowed eyes and a small huff of frustration. "You're too late for that. I'm already far too aware of the fact that I am lacking a car." Slight pouting by this point, the speaker made hand gestures the entire time to unnecessarily enunciate his point.

"Get in the car." Derek ordered, ignoring nearly everything Stiles had just said in accordance to his plan to avoid a headache. He'd decided just to tune out everything the kid said the second he'd started speaking. "If you don't, I'm driving away." The information came swiftly from his mouth when he noticed that Stiles looked as though he was about to object to the previous order.

Stiles quickly scrambled into the backseat, just as Erica dug her bony elbow into Derek's side, silently demanding for him to be nicer to the kid. Derek huffed, batting away her arm, while refusing to take his eyes off the road and more importantly, apologize to Stiles. Besides, from what little of the conversation he had heard, Stiles was falsely accusing him of something; in his mind, Stiles should be the one apologizing, not him. Yet he didn't see her jabbing the younger boy,Erica was just picking favourites as she tended to do.

As soon as the Camaro was in motion, driving down Stiles's street towards the school, so did the ramblings. Derek, though thoroughly annoyed, couldn't help but be slightly amazed at how easily the kid fell into a routine of endless ramblings. There were only so many combinations of the English language and surely Stiles would run out of things to say at some point; Actually, Derek was pretty such that at some point, Stiles would just start making noises in lieu of actual words.

Erica slipped flawlessly into the conversation with Stiles; well, it was more of her nodding and smiling in the right places, occasionally adding her opinion to show that she was actually listening. Then again, she was actually trying. Derek on the other hand, didn't even bother listening to anything either said, as he was focusing his attention on not throwing himself out of the car. It seemed like a better idea than questioning why he was driving Erica, and now Stiles, to school when he could use this time for himself, not sharing it with others that he really didn't enjoy the company of.

Finally, Beacon Hill High School appeared; a place that Derek was grateful he knew he could escape from after graduation. After parking, Erica slipped from the car, showing her thanks for the ride to school with a simple wave of the hand. Stiles however, stayed in the car for a moment longer fiddling with the seatbelt even though he knew perfectly well how to undo it.

"Thank you for the ride." Stiles grinned, his hand hesitantly placed on the door handled, as though if he was wondering if he should say more. Being Stiles, he did, of course. "You didn't have to pick me up or anything, but thanks. That was really nice of you. I was wrong about you; you're not a total jerkeven if you did smash my car up."

With that, Stiles slipped from the car and Derek couldn't help but roll his eyes, not really used to anyone thanking him for anything so not really knowing how else to react. Derek waited until Stiles and Erica were out of sight before he exited the car, realising he should probably get started on buying the repairs for Stiles' car after school.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles wasn't even sure why Erica had asked him to sit with her. All she did was concentrate on her immaculate nails and pick at her chicken salad, let alone do something crazy, like pay any sort of attention to him. He also wasn't sure why she was here with him, instead of with Derek, Isaac, or Boyd, the people she normally sat with. Not that he knew exactly who she sat with; it wasn't like he spent most of his lunch staring at their table or anything. His eyes occasionally flickered towards Erica's face, as if the answers on how to start a conversation with herwerethere, but mostly they'd stay fixed on the little scratches on the table.

"Why did Derek smash my car in?" Stiles questioned, after the silence between them had become far too much for him to handle. Plus, the question had been niggling at the back of his mind since he'd received that note placed upon his wrecked car. Erica gave a drawn out sigh, as if talking was the most excruciating things she'd ever had to do. She knew this was going to happen, that she'd have to talk eventually, when she invited Stiles to sit with her. The boy barely got through five minutes without talking, so being surprised would have been foolish of her.

"Didn't I explain that on the note?" Erica replied with a bored tone as she lifted an eyebrow at him. Even though she was a usually talkative person, being left by all her friends had put her in a bad mood, one only made worse because she had been forced to invite Stiles to sit with her so she didn't appear completely alone.

With Stiles met her eyes with a blanklook, she dropped her hand to the table to show she'd lost interest in her nails and was going to focus on Stiles. Something Stiles was thankful for because he really did want to engage in conversation. "He mistook your jeep for his ex's." She explained simply, giving no reason for further explanation, though Stiles still asked for it.

"His ex drove a jeep?" Stiles asked, shuffling on his seat slightly to become more comfortable. Well, as comfortable you could get on those cheap chairs that their school seemed to be obsessed with. He'd only seen a few people in Beacon Hills with the same jeep as him, probably because his jeep was an old make and was falling apart. It had been that way even before Derek had gotten his hands on it, but as far as he knew, none of the other owners had dated Derek. Although, Derek didn't seem to be the one to flaunt his relationships so he maybe could have.

"No, she drove a Scion FR-S with red rims and standard." Erica snorted as she shook her head at him, as if the idea of her driving a jeep was ludicrous. Despite completely despising Kate, something that was cemented when she had the nerve to cheat on Derek, she had to at least admire her taste in cars. Erica dropped her fork in her plate, done with picking all the chicken out and not wanting to eat the salad. Mentioning Kate had put her off her food especially since it brought back memories of Derek looking so broken because of her. "Derek was drunk. He wasn't exactly thinking straight. He probably would have done the same to anyone's car, yours was just closest."

"I feel special." Stiles deadpanned, earning a small laugh from Erica that was more of an amused huff than anything. "So, why did you ask me to sit with you?" Stiles raised a brow at her. Maybe if Scott was with him he wouldn't have gone to sit with Erica but he'd decided he wanted to spend some time with Allison. And by 'some time' he, of course, meant as much time as he possible could.

"Derek's still angry at me for asking him to pick you up so he's being broody elsewhere today, Isaac isn't at school today and won't pick up his phone and Boyd is...somewhere. I think he didn't want to have to pick sides between me and Derek, I guess." Erica explained as she tried to not look too glum at the fact everyone had abandoned her. Well, it could be worse, she supposed. He could have declined the offer, which of would have hurt even more; he was annoying, but he was still better than nothing, if only slightly.

Stiles realised he should probably feel bitter about being a last resort but, honestly, it wasn't as if the two were friends so he didn't care that much. He was just happy it took his mind of the fact Scott had chosen to go with Allison instead of him. "Does he brood a lot?" Stiles questioned, not thathe really cared. It was more to make conversation as he hated awkward silences and, for him, nearly every silence seemed to be awkward.

"Ever since I met him." Erica shrugged, not really looking very bothered with having to put up with him. Actually, talking about him was the only time she didn't look completely annoyed or fed up with everything. Stiles was about to ask the why, if he broods so much, does Erica choose to be friends with him because Erica didn't seem like the type of person to put up with whining people for long. But then he, vaguely, recalled what Erica was like before meeting Derek. He remember the girl that used to cover herself up completely as if trying to hide from the world, the girl that everyone laughed at when she had fits, and he guessed that Derek practically saved her from all that.

He'd heard many rumours about Derek but Stiles guessed he wasn't that bad. He was pretty grumpy, didn't talk much and his poor jeep was now trashed but he did help Erica when she needed it the most and save him from having to take the bus.


End file.
